Julius Randle matched his career high with 23 points and had 11 rebounds in the Lakers’ first game since stunning the defending champion Warriors on Sunday.
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Iguodala is still bothered by a tight left hamstring, and Kerr said before Monday’s matchup with the Orlando Magic that it’s unlikely the reserve swingman will play.
It comes as no surprise that Stephen Curry played a major role. We could’ve lost I’m sure several times past year. Regardless of how good your shooters are – we know Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are two of the best – they are susceptible to games like this.
Coming off a game in which they combined to shoot 1-for-18 from 3-point range, Curry (7-for-13) and Thompson (5-for-11) combined for 12 treys in helping the Warriors soothe the sting of their 112-95 road defeat to the Los Angeles on Sunday. “But we did it and shocked a lot of people – we shocked ourselves”.
At 56-6 with 20 games left to play, the Warriors still have a chance to top the Bulls’ 72-win season.
“I was thinking after the game: ‘Maybe we have turned that corner and our guys are showing some maturity and some growth, ‘” said coach Byron Scott, whose team is playing the third of an eight-game homestand.
The reigning league MVP knocked down seven from beyond the arc, becoming the first National Basketball Association player to make 300 3-pointers in a season, extending his record.
That’s largely because Golden State has been so, so good this season – far better than during that special run to the franchise’s first title in 40 years last year.
“We have to continue to keep proving it”, Russell said about the young players stepping up recently.
Andrew Bogut followed that up by poking away a pass for a steal that led to an easy Curry layup, and the Warriors were able to put the game away in the final minute.
It was fitting that Curry and Thompson made the game’s two biggest buckets for the Warriors, because they kept the team afloat with their scoring in the midst of team-wide turnover problems.
James finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
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Chris Paul scored 18 of his 27 points when Los Angeles took control in the third quarter, and DeAndre Jordan had 23 points and 20 rebounds amid another round of boos in Dallas as the Clippers beat the Mavericks 109-90. Yet the Warriors struggled just as much to hold onto the ball, following up their 22 turnovers at Staples with 24 on Monday. Most notable was his message to Draymond Green, who he clearly sees as the heart-and-soul of Golden State. Golden State’s team as a whole had an off shooting night, going just 4/30 from the three-point line (13.3 percent) for the game.
